The Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving to the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of the IoT technology and the Big Data processing technology through connection with a cloud server, has emerged. As technology elements, such as “sensing technology”, “wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure”, “service interface technology”, and “Security technology” have been demanded for IoT implementation, a sensor network, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), and so forth have been recently researched.
Such an IoT environment may provide intelligent Internet technology services that create a new value to human life by collecting and analyzing data generated among connected things. IoT may be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances and advanced medical services through convergence and combination between existing Information Technology (IT) and various industrial applications.
Normally a beacon is technology or device used for finding a location of a target, e.g., a person, a thing, etc., through wireless communication technology such as infrared or Bluetooth. In a typical service using a beacon, a beacon signal generator installed by a beacon service provider is fixed at a specific location, and a device receives information contained in a beacon signal generated by the beacon signal generator. Meanwhile, with smart phones increasing in popularity, services using a beacon are now diversified. For example, when a user who carries a mobile device enters a shop having a beacon, customized information such as product properties, prices, or a purchase history may be automatically offered to a customer. Additionally, when a user enters a hotel lobby, a welcome message is offered on a screen of a user's mobile device, and also guiding information about hotel facilities such as a swimming pool, restaurants, and the like may be offered to a user's mobile device by recognizing the location of the device. Additionally, in a case of museum or art gallery, related information may be offered in the form of voice, text or video to a user's mobile device that is approaching a work of art or an exhibit.
In such a typical service using a beacon, a beacon generator that always generates a beacon signal is fixed to a specific location, and a device capable of receiving the beacon signal is moved together with a user. Further, all devices located within a coverage of a certain beacon generator merely receive the same data from the beacon generator. Therefore, each individual user does not have the ability to select desired information and also cannot prevent an offer of unverified information.
Meanwhile, in a typical case of performing a distance measurement using a beacon so as to offer a service based on the measured distance, only the received signal strength indication (RSSI) of a beacon signal received by a user's mobile device is used for determining such a distance. However, this has no consideration for the direction of an antenna, signal distortion due to obstacles, randomness of a Bluetooth signal using a frequency hopping scheme, and the like.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.